Struggling to get your five star rating at the end of every trip? Read on for our tips on how to showcase your best Uber etiquette next time your Toyota Prius pulls up.

Unlike the traditional cabbie, Uber has an account rating system for guidance on who’s good and who’s bad to journey with. Drivers of course have ratings, and you see their score every-time you look for a ride, but the riders themselves have a rating too. This is based off of past trips, and how the driver rated your passenger etiquette.

And the rating system is held to a high standard: if you read a hotel review, and it was rated 4.7 stars out of 5, you’d think it was excellent wouldn’t you? Not so with Uber. A 4.7 star rating is dropping below average, and this may result in longer waiting times, while a 4.6 star rating or lower will put you in the danger zone of being banned. It seems harsh, but it’s fairly easy to maintain a good user score. As someone with a respectable (lame brag) 4.9 rating which was bumped up from a 4.7 a few months ago after using some of these tips, I’ll take you through the various ways you can ensure you Uber rating stays high, or is increased back up again.

Say Hello

I know this seems obvious, but when your car arrives, don’t just get in and say nothing. Say “hello”, “good morning” or whatever standard greeting you want (within reason, saying “follow that cab!” will probably be met with a blank stare for your unoriginality). Uber drivers are human, so obviously, greet them like one! A bit of cheeriness (or at least friendly acknowledgment) goes a long way.

Be Polite

Following on from the previous point, don’t drop the friendlyness if the driver addresses you or you need to talk to them. Again, it’s obvious, but if the driver asks you to do something like strap in your seatbelt, or if you need to tell them specific directions at the destination, don’t be rude when doing so. You might end up in argument or kicked out if you’re really rude, or just given a low rating. Best not to play loud music or anything like that either.

(Try To) Keep Up The Conversation

Uber driving is a pretty dull job, so drivers sometimes chat to passengers about the roads, weather etc to keep them from getting bored. If you can, try and keep the conversation going and chat with your driver. You probably don’t need to go into life stories, but just be polite. Drivers don’t always talk and sometimes leave you to your own devices, and if you’re feeling really grim or crap that day, then you don’t need to be really chatty. It’s unlikely you’ll get rated down for not having a huge chinwag.

Don’t Slam The Door

Or at least make an effort not to. Sometimes it’s hard, especially if the driver needs you to close the door properly after you get in. You don’t have to be super delicate with the door, but try to not rudely and loudly slam it like you’re making a dramatic exit in a bad soap opera.

Don’t Be Really Drunk

It’s pretty much inevitable that you’ll call at Uber at some point when you’ve had a few too many, when it’s 2am and you really need to get home and crash. Most of the time, as long as you’re pretty coherent and quiet, you’ll be fine: drivers are used to this by now. However if you’re really rowdy and loud or acting otherwise anti-socially, it’s likely to affect your rating. And it goes without saying that throwing up in the car will go down as well as throwing up in any other vehicle you don’t own. Try to keep a lid on yourself, and others with you.

Don’t Be Messy

This again should be obvious, but don’t leave the car like a tip. Don’t scoff a bag of crisps down and get crumbs everywhere, chuck a takeaway box onto one of the spare seats, or get mud everywhere. Uber cars are afterall all the driver’s car, so treat it as if it were your own. In fact, treat it better!

Make Sure Your Location Is Correct

The pin to show a driver where you are can sometimes be awkwardly placed, or you can accidentally move it. It’s easy to overlook, but make sure you know exactly where the pin is, and that you can get there easily in time for the ride. The driver won’t want to be going around in circles confused because the customer isn’t where they said they would be, and have to ring you up.

Be At Your Pick Up Point

Similar to making sure the pickup pin is in the right place, be on time for when they arrive. Don’t request an Uber while you’re halfway through breakfast, or when you’ve finished dinner and then order dessert. Obviously you’ll have a little time to be ready before they arrive, but a good rule of thumb is, only request a car when you’re ready (or as close to being ready as you can).

Don’t Tell The Driver How To Drive

Uber allows you to edit your final destination before the end of the trip, or add extra stops along the way. But asking your driver to swap lanes when it’s too late, or to drive faster, or do anything illegal (duh) is going to be frowned upon. Trying to get the driver to change their route while saying that you know a shortcut and that your way is better probably won’t go down well either, so just trust them to get on with it. If they go a completely strange route and it impacts you arriving on time, then just don’t rate them highly on the app when the ride ends.

Keep A Driver You Like Saved

You can use the app to favourite a rider after your journey, and they’ll be added to a list on your account. When you next order a ride, your favourited driver will be notified and they can come and pick you up if they’re available. Doing this can allow you to build a rapport with your driver, and they’ll likely give you a 5 star rating again.

Keep To The Correct Number Of Riders

There’s different sizes of cars you can order on Uber, and you’ll be told the maximum capactiy when you request a ride. Make sure to keep to this amount, and not try and squeeze six people into a four seater Uber car. Just be sensible, and don’t try and break the record for most people in a car at once.

Tip Your Driver

Tipping your drivers won’t directly affect your rating, but it’s a good habit to do anyway, considering the drivers aren’t paid hugely well, and will help brighten their day. And if you happen to get the same driver again (or favourite them), they may well remember that you didn’t tip last time. Of course, only tip if your thought the service provided was up to standard.

Sometimes You Just Get A Bad Driver

Unfortunately, you can’t always control what rating you end up with on Uber. Sometimes you’ll have a bad time while being a passenger, or occasionally you’ll notice your score has gone down for no apparent reason, even if you were polite and prompt arriving. Like in any service where there’s a customer and provider, sometimes you have unfortunate incidents. But the majority of the time, you’ll get good drivers and a good rating if you bear these tips in mind. To give a lower than 5 star rating, a driver has to file a reason for it,- so they have to really feel that you weren’t a good rider to give you one. So if you’re stressing that you think you slammed the door too hard or something minor, it’ll most likely be fine.

Lifestyle, London, Travel

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